1955 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1955.

Specific locations

Specific genres

Events

January 1 – RCA Victor announces a marketing plan called "Operation TNT." The label drops the list price on LPs from $5.95 to $3.98, EPs from $4.95 to $2.98, 45 EPs from $1.58 to $1.49 and 45's from $1.16 to $.89. Other record labels follow RCA's lead and begin to drop prices as well.
January 7
- Marian Anderson is the first African American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
- "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets first appears on the British charts.
January 14 – In New York City, Alan Freed produces the first rock and roll concert.
January 27 – Michael Tippett's opera The Midsummer Marriage is premiered at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London, conducted by John Pritchard, with designs by Barbara Hepworth and choreography by John Cranko; it arouses controversy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
February 19 – Dot Records introduces a new singer, Pat Boone, with an advertisement in Billboard magazine calling him "a great new voice". His first record for Dot Records is "Two Hearts, Two Kisses, One Love."
February 24 – Carlisle Floyd's opera Susannah is premiered in the Ruby Diamond Auditorium of Florida State University, Tallahassee with Phyllis Curtin in the title role.
February 26 – For the first time since their introduction in 1949, 45 rpm discs begin to outsell standard 78s.
February – Kay Starr leaves Capitol to sign with RCA.
March 3 – Italian soprano Mirella Freni makes her operatic debut as Micaëla in Carmen at the Teatro Municipale in her native Modena.
March 7 – The Broadway production of Peter Pan, starring Mary Martin, is presented on American television for the first time by NBC-TV with its original cast, as an installment of Producers' Showcase. It is also the first time that a stage musical is presented in its entirety on TV almost exactly as it was performed on stage. This program gains the largest viewership of a TV special up to this time and becomes one of the first great TV family musical classics.
March 15 – Colonel Tom Parker becomes Elvis Presley's de facto manager.
March 19 – The film Blackboard Jungle is premièred in New York City, featuring Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around the Clock" over the opening credits, the first use of a rock and roll song in a major film.
March 22 – Decca Records signs DJ Alan Freed as an A&R man.
March 26 – Bill Hayes tops the US charts for five weeks with "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" and starts a (fake) coonskin cap craze.
April 14 – Imperial Records in the United States release "Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino (co-written with Dave Bartholomew). It reaches #1 in the R&B chart and becomes over time a million seller, bringing Domino to prominence and giving his work covers by white artists: Pat Boone makes this song a Billboard number-one single of 1955 for jukebox play.
May 13 – First riot at an Elvis Presley concert takes place in Jacksonville, Florida.
May 21 – Chuck Berry records his first single, "Maybellene", for Chess Records in Chicago.
May 22 – Bridgeport, Connecticut, authorities cancel a rock concert to be headlined by Fats Domino for fear of a riot breaking out.
June
- The 29th International Society for Contemporary Music Festival takes place in Baden-Baden.
- The newly formed Netherlands Chamber Orchestra gives its first performance at the Holland Festival.
June 2 – Italian singers Natalino Otto and Flo Sandon's marry.
June 16 – Glenn Gould completes his recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations.<ref>Fleming, Colin (28 November 2003). "Reissues: Glenn Gould – 'A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations 1955 & 1981' [review]". Goldmine 29 (24): 63.</ref>
June 18
- Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson marry in the U.K.
- Pierre Boulez's influential composition Le marteau sans maître ("The hammer without a master"), for contralto and six instrumentalists, is premiered (in its first revised version) at the International Society for Contemporary Music Festival in Baden-Baden at the insistence of Heinrich Strobel.<ref name=CM1>Template:Cite book</ref>
July 9 – "Rock Around the Clock" becomes the first Rock and roll single to reach Number One on the American charts.
July 13 – The Beaux Arts Trio make their debut at the Berkshire Music Festival.
August 8 – Luigi Nono marries Arnold Schoenberg's daughter Nuria in Venice.<ref name=CM1/>
August 19 – WINS radio station in New York City adopts a policy of not playing white cover versions of black R&B songs.
August 31 – A Londoner is fined for "creating an abominable noise" for playing "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" at top volume.
September 3 – Little Richard records "Tutti Frutti" in New Orleans with significantly cleaned up lyrics (originally "Tutti Frutti, good booty" among other things); it is released in October.
September 26 – "America's Sweethearts", singers Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, marry.
October 15 – Elvis Presley plays a concert in Lubbock, Texas. Opening act is local duo Buddy and Bob, Buddy being future rock star Buddy Holly.
October 20 – Disc jockey Bill Randle of WERE (Cleveland) is the key presenter of a concert at Brooklyn High School (Ohio), featuring Pat Boone and Bill Haley & His Comets and opening with Elvis Presley, not only Elvis's first performance north of the Mason–Dixon line, but also his first filmed performance, for a documentary on Randle titled The Pied Piper of Cleveland.
October 29 – Dmitri Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1, originally completed in 1948, is premiered by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra with its dedicatee, David Oistrakh, as soloist.
November 4 – William Schuman's orchestral piece Credendum: Article of Faith, commissioned by UNESCO, is premiered in Cincinnati.
November 12 – Billboard magazine DJ poll names Elvis Presley as the most promising new country and western singer.
November 20 – Bo Diddley makes his debut TV appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS television.
November 22 – Colonel Tom Parker signs Elvis Presley to RCA Records.
November 29 – Juan José Castro conducts the UK première of Carlos Chávez's Symphony No. 3 at the Maida Vale Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra.
December 15 – Sun Records releases "Folsom Prison Blues" recorded by Johnny Cash on July 30.
Christmas – The Temperance Seven is founded as a jazz band, initially comprising three members from the Chelsea School of Art in London.
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel write their first song, "The Girl For Me" (copyrighted with the Library of Congress in 1956), and begin singing together as a duo while still in high school in New York City.
Nine-year-old Al Green forms a gospel quartet, the Green Brothers.
Clyde McPhatter launches a solo career.
Renato Carosone and Nicola Salerno meet and start their songwriting partnership.
Astor Piazzolla, returning to Argentina from his studies with Nadia Boulanger, forms his string orchestra (Orquesta de Cuerdas) and octet (Octeto Buenos Aires) and introduces the nuevo tango style.<ref name=CM1/>
Indian santoor player Shivkumar Sharma gives his first public performance in Bombay.
Etta James makes her debut with "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" which tops the R&B Chart but is considered too risqué for pop radio. The song is subsequently covered by Georgia Gibbs in a sanitized version where the line "Roll with me Henry" is changed to "Dance with me Henry"
Publication of Neue Mozart-Ausgabe begins.

Albums released

In 1955, 1,615 albums and 4,542 pop singles were released in the US.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

And I Thought About You – Patti Page
At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1 – The Jazz Messengers
At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2 – The Jazz Messengers
Day Dreams – Doris Day
Blue Moods – Miles Davis
Brute Force Steel Bands of Antigua, B.W.I.
Christmas with Patti Page – Patti Page
Clifford Brown with Strings – Clifford Brown
Cloud 7 – Tony Bennett
Concert by the Sea – Erroll Garner
Dinner in Caracas – Aldemaro Romero
Doris Day in Hollywood – Doris Day
Eddie Fisher Sings Academy Award Winning Songs – Eddie Fisher
Especially for You... – Teresa Brewer
Four Brothers – Ames Brothers
Happy Holiday – Jo Stafford
The Hi-Lo's, I Presume – The Hi-Lo's
I Cry for You – Johnnie Ray
I Love You – Eddie Fisher
In a Blue Mood – Kay Starr
In a Romantic Mood – Oscar Peterson
In the Land of Hi-Fi – Sarah Vaughan
In the Wee Small Hours – Frank Sinatra
Jazz Spectacular – Frankie Laine & Buck Clayton
Julie Is Her Name – Julie London
Love Me or Leave Me – Doris Day
Lovers' Laine – Frankie Laine
Meet Betty Carter and Ray Bryant – Betty Carter and Ray Bryant
Memory Songs – Jo Stafford
Moments to Remember – The Four Lads
Music Ala Carte – The Crew-Cuts
The Musings of Miles – Miles Davis
Noël Coward at Las Vegas – Noël Coward
Oklahoma! – Original Broadway Cast
Oscar Peterson Plays Count Basie – Oscar Peterson
The One, the Only Kay Starr – Kay Starr
Quintet/Sextet – Miles Davis
Rain or Shine – Dick Haymes
Rock Around the Clock – Bill Haley & His Comets
Rock with Bill Haley and the Comets – Bill Haley & His Comets
Romance on the Range – Patti Page
Satch Plays Fats – Louis Armstrong
Shake, Rattle and Roll – Bill Haley & His Comets
So Smooth – Perry Como
Soft and Sentimental – Jo Stafford
Songs of Scotland – Jo Stafford
Songs from Pete Kelly's Blues – Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald
Starring Sammy Davis Jr. – Sammy Davis Jr.
Study in Brown – Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Swingin' Down Yonder – Dean Martin
Symphony No. 10 (Shostakovich) – Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York, Dimitri Mitropoulos, conductor (12-inch LP. Columbia Masterworks ML 4959)
Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington – Thelonious Monk
Voice of our Choice – Guy Mitchell
The Waltz Queen – Patti Page

Biggest hit singles

The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in the set of charts available for 1955.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Bill Haley & His Comets	Rock Around the Clock	1955	US	UK 1 – Jan 1955 (36 weeks), US Billboard 1 – May 1955 (24 weeks), US BB 1 of 1955, US CashBox 1 – Jul 1954 (31 weeks), Your Hit Parade 1 of 1955, Record Mirror 1 for 8 weeks – Nov 1955, Australia 1 for 6 weeks – Aug 1955, Germany 1 for 4 weeks – Jun 1956, UK sales 1 of the 1950s (1,390 k in 1955), Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982 (1954), DDD 1 of 1954, POP 1 of 1955, DZE 1 of 1955, Flanders 2 – Nov 1955 (14 months), RYM 2 of 1954, DMDB 2 (1954), Italy 3 of 1957, UKMIX 3, nuTsie 3 of 1950s, Brazil 4 of 1956, Europe 5 of the 1950s (1955), D.Marsh 7 of 1955, Scrobulate 8 of rock & roll, RIAA 12, Germany 17 – Jun 1968 (2 months), Holland 27 – Jun 1968 (5 weeks), Belgium 30 – Jun 1974 (1 week), 41 in 2FM list, Acclaimed 49 (1954), AFI 50, Rolling Stone 158, Global 4 (20 M sold) – 1954, one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500, Party 180 of 1999
2	Tennessee Ernie Ford	Sixteen Tons	1955	US	UK 1 – Jan 1956 (11 weeks), US Billboard 1 – Nov 1955 (22 weeks), US CashBox 1 – Nov 1955 (21 weeks), Record Mirror 1 for 5 weeks – Jan 1956, Australia 1 for 6 weeks – Feb 1956, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 (1955), DZE 2 of 1955, Flanders 3 – Jan 1956 (7 months), Brazil 7 of 1956, D.Marsh 12 of 1955, RYM 13 of 1955, US BB 20 of 1955, POP 20 of 1955, DDD 49 of 1955, RIAA 83, DMDB 88 (1955), Acclaimed 276 (1955), UKMIX 933
3	The Platters	Only You (And You Alone)	1955	US	Italy 1 of 1957, France 1 for 13 weeks – Nov 1957, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1955), US CashBox 3 – Aug 1955 (26 weeks), US BB 4 of 1955, Brazil 4 of 1957, POP 4 of 1955, UK 5 – Sep 1956 (16 weeks), US Billboard 5 – Sep 1955 (22 weeks), D.Marsh 10 of 1955, DDD 12 of 1955, RYM 15 of 1955, Europe 22 of the 1950s (1955), nuTsie 88 of 1950s, Acclaimed 643 (1955), Party 271 of 1999
4	Pérez Prado	Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)	1955	US	UK 1 – Mar 1955 (17 weeks), US Billboard 1 – Mar 1955 (26 weeks), Australia 1 for 3 weeks – Jul 1955, Germany 1 for 7 weeks – Oct 1955, US CashBox 2 – Mar 1955 (29 weeks), Flanders 2 – Apr 1955 (5 months), Your Hit Parade 3 of 1955, Brazil 4 of 1955, US BB 7 of 1955, POP 7 of 1955, RYM 27 of 1955, DDD 68 of 1955, UKMIX 188
5	Four Aces	Love is a Many Splendoured Thing	1955	US	US Billboard 1 – Aug 1955 (21 weeks), US CashBox 1 – Aug 1955 (29 weeks), Radio Luxembourg sheet music 1 for 1 week – Jan 1956, Oscar in 1955 (film 'Love is a Many Splendored Thing'), UK 2 – Nov 1955 (13 weeks), Peel list 2 of 1955, Italy 3 of 1956, DZE 3 of 1955, US BB 9 of 1955, POP 9 of 1955, Flanders 13 – Dec 1955 (3 months), RYM 29 of 1955, UKMIX 550

US No. 1 hit singles

These singles reached the top of US Billboard magazine's charts in 1955.

First week	Number of weeks	Title	Artist
January 22, 1955	2	"Let Me Go, Lover!"	Joan Weber
February 5, 1955	1	"Hearts of Stone"	The Fontane Sisters
February 12, 1955	6	"Sincerely"	The McGuire Sisters
March 26, 1955	5	"The Ballad of Davy Crockett"	Bill Hayes
April 30, 1955	10	"Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White"	Pérez Prado
July 9, 1955	8	"Rock Around the Clock"	Bill Haley & His Comets
September 3, 1955	5	"The Yellow Rose of Texas"	Mitch Miller
October 8, 1955	1	"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing"	The Four Aces
October 15, 1955	1	"The Yellow Rose of Texas"	Mitch Miller
October 22, 1955	1	"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing"	The Four Aces
October 29, 1955	4	"Autumn Leaves"	Roger Williams
November 26, 1955	7	"Sixteen Tons"	Tennessee Ernie Ford

Top hits on record

Template:Columns-list

Top R&B and country hits on record

"Ain't That a Shame" – Fats Domino
"Close Your Eyes" – The Five Keys
"Earth Angel" – The Penguins
"Flip, Flop and Fly" – Big Joe Turner
"Lonely Nights" – The Hearts
"Love Love Love" – Webb Pierce
"Silver Threads and Golden Needles" – Wanda Jackson
"Tutti Frutti" – Little Richard
"Tweedle Dee" – LaVern Baker
"The Wallflower" – Etta James
"At My Front Door" – The El Dorados

Published popular music

"Adelaide" – w.m. Frank Loesser
"Ain't That a Shame" – w.m. Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew
"Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" – w.m. Jimmy Reed
"All At Once You Love Her" – w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"Arrivederci Roma" – w. (Eng) Carl Sigman m. Renato Ranucci
"Ballad Of Davy Crockett" – w. Tom Blackburn m. George Bruns
"Band of Gold" – w. Bob Musel m. Jack Taylor
"The Bible Tells Me So" – w.m. Dale Evans
"Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots" – w.m. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
"Blue Monday" – w.m. Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew
"Blue Star" w. Edward Heyman m. Victor Young
"Blue Suede Shoes" – w.m. Carl Perkins
"Bo Diddley" – w.m. Ellas McDaniel
"Charlie Brown" – w.m. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
"Christmas Alphabet" – Buddy Kaye, Jules Loman
"Dance with Me, Henry" – w.m. Johnny Otis, Hank Ballard and Etta James aka "Wallflower"
"Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" – trad West Indies arr. William Attaway and Irving Burgie (aka Lord Burgess)
"Domani" – w. Tony Velona m. Ulpio Minucci
"Don't Be Angry" – w.m. Nappy Brown, Rose Marie McCoy and Fred Mendelsohn
"Dreamboat" – w.m. Jack Hoffman
"Dungaree Doll" – w. Ben Raleigh m. Sherman Edwards
"En Tu Reja" – m. Aldemaro Romero, arranged for accordion quartet by John Serry Sr.
"Folsom Prison Blues" – w.m. Johnny Cash
"Forever Darling" w. Sammy Cahn m. Bronislau Kaper. Introduced by Desi Arnaz in the 1956 film Forever, Darling
"The Great Pretender" – w.m. Buck Ram
"Hallelujah I Love Her So" – w.m. Ray Charles
"He" – w. Richard Mullan m. Jack Richards
"He's a Tramp" w.m. Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke. Introduced by Peggy Lee in the animated film Lady and the Tramp
"Heart" – w.m. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
"Hey, Mister Banjo" – w.m. Freddy Morgan and Norman Malkin
"I Hear You Knocking" – w.m. Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King
"Holiday in Rio" – m. Terig Tucci arranged for accordion quartet by John Serry Sr.
"I Never Has Seen Snow" – w. Truman Capote and Harold Arlen m. Harold Arlen
"I'll Never Stop Loving You" w. Sammy Cahn m. Nicholas Brodszky. Introduced by Doris Day in the film Love Me or Leave Me.
"I'm in Love Again" – w.m. Fats Dominio and Dave Bartholomew
"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" w. Bob Hilliard m. Dave Mann
"Innamorata" – w. Jack Brooks m. Harry Warren Introduced by Dean Martin in the film Artists and Models
"It's Almost Tomorrow" – w. Wade Buff m. Gene Adkinson
"Jamaica Farewell" – w.m. Lord Burgess
"Jim Dandy" – w.m. Lincoln Chase
"Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)" – w.m. Forest Wilson, Jake Porter and Eunice Levy
"Learnin' The Blues" – w.m. Dolores Vicki Silvers
"Life Could Not Better Be" – w.m. Sylvia Fine and Sammy Cahn. Introduced by Danny Kaye in the film The Court Jester.
"Little One (1956 song)" – w.m. Cole Porter
"Love and Marriage" – w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen
"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" – w. Paul Francis Webster m. Sammy Fain
"Monolas" – m. Manolo Escobar, arranged for accordion quartet by John Serry Sr.
"Maybellene" – w.m. Chuck Berry, Russ Frato and Alan Freed
"Memories Are Made of This" – w.m. Terry Gilkyson, Rich Dehr and Frank Miller
"Mind if I Make Love to You?" – w.m. Cole Porter
"Moments To Remember" – w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
"Mr. Wonderful" – w.m. Jerry Bock, George David Weiss and Larry Holofcener
"My Boy – Flat Top" – w.m. Boyd Bennett and John Young Jr
"No, Not Much" – w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
"Once-a-Year Day" – w.m. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross from the musical The Pajama Game
"An Occasional Man" w.m. Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin. Introduced by Gloria DeHaven in the film The Girl Rush
"Paper Roses" – w. Janice Torre m. Fred Spielman
"Pet Me Poppa" – w.m. Frank Loesser
"Pete Kelly's Blues" – w. Sammy Cahn m. Ray Heindorf
"Relax-Ay-Voo" – Sammy Cahn and Arthur Schwartz
"Robin Hood" w.m. Carl Sigman. Theme song of the Television series starring Richard Greene.
"The Rock and Roll Waltz" – w. Dick Ware m. Shorty Allen
"Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie" – w.m. Bill Haley
"Same Old Saturday Night" – w. Sammy Cahn m. Frank Reardon
"See You Later Alligator" – w.m. Robert Guidry
"Seven-and-a-Half Cents" – w.m. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
"The Siamese Cat Song" – w.m. Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke. Introduced by Peggy Lee in the animated film Lady and the Tramp.
"A Sleepin' Bee" – w. Truman Capote and Harold Arlen m. Harold Arlen. Introduced in the musical House of Flowers by Diahann Carroll, Ada Moore, Dolores Harper and Enid Mosier
"Smokey Joe's Cafe" – w.m. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
"Softly, Softly" – Pierre Dudan, Paddy Roberts and Mark Paul
"Something's Gotta Give" – w.m. Johnny Mercer. Introduced by Fred Astaire in the musical film Daddy Long Legs.
"Speedoo" – w.m. Esther Navarro
"Stereophonic Sound" – w.m. Cole Porter from the musical Silk Stockings
"A Story Untold" – Leroy Griffin
"Suddenly There's a Valley" – w.m. Chuck Meyer and Biff Jones
"Tango Verde" – m. Aldemaro Romero, arranger John Serry Sr. for accordion quartet
"(Love Is) The Tender Trap" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen. Introduced by Frank Sinatra in the film The Tender Trap.
"Theme from East Of Eden" – m. Leonard Rosenman
"Tina Marie" – w.m. Bob Merrill
"Tutti Frutti" – w.m. Richard Penniman, D. La Bostrie and Joe Lubin
"Two Lost Souls" – w.m. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Introduced by Gwen Verdon and Stephen Douglass in the musical Damn Yankees
"Unchained Melody" – w. Hy Zaret m. Alex North
"Wake the Town and Tell the People" – w. Sammy Gallop m. Jerry Livingston
"The Wallflower" (aka "Dance With Me Henry") – w.m. Johnny Otis, Hank Ballard and Etta James
"Whatever Lola Wants" – w.m. Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Introduced by Gwen Verdon in the musical Damn Yankees. Gwen also performed the song in the 1958 film version.
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" – w.m. Frankie Lymon and George Goldner
"A Woman in Love" – w.m. Frank Loesser
"You Are My Love" w.m. Jimmie Nabbie
"You Don't Know Me" – w.m. Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold

Other notable songs

"Mera Joota Hai Japani" by Shankar-Jaikishan
"Moscow Nights" by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy and Mikhail Matusovsky
"Satumaa" by Unto Mononen

Classical music

Premieres

Sortable table
Composer	Composition	Date	Location	Performers
Berio, Luciano	Mimusique No. 2	1955-10-25	Bergamo, Italy	Albertini, Cacciari, Carpi, Chazalettes, Consonni, Nogara, Pistone, Ridoni, Tortorella, Zovianoff – Maderna<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Blacher, Boris	Viola Concerto	1955-03-14	Cologne, Germany	Wolf / ? – Sawallisch<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bliss, Sir Arthur	Meditation on a Theme by John Blow (orchestral)	1955-12-13	Birmingham, UK (Town Hall)	City of Birmingham Symphony – Rudolf Schwarz<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref>
Bliss, Sir Arthur	Violin Concerto	1955-05-11	London, UK	London Symphony – Sargent<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Kendall, Alan. The Chronicle of Classical Music, Thames & Hudson, 1994, p. 240</ref>
Boulez, Pierre	Le Marteau sans maître	1955-08-16	Baden-Baden, Germany	Plate / members of SWF Symphony – Rosbaud<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Boulez, Pierre	Sonatine for flute and piano	1955-06-01	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Redel, Loriod<ref name=IMMB98 />
Enescu, George	Chamber Symphony, Op. 33	1955-01-23	Paris	Association of Chamber Music Concerts of Paris – Obradous<ref>Pascal Bentoiu, Masterworks of George Enescu: A Detailed Analysis, translated by Lory Wallfisch (Lanham, Maryland; Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press, 2010): 492. Template:ISBN.</ref>
Engelmann, Hans Ulrich	Atlantische Ballade for soprano, baritone, and string quartet	1955-06-01	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Stix, Rehfuss, Drolc Quartet<ref name=IMMB9495>Template:Cite book</ref>
Finzi, Gerald	Cello Concerto	1955-07-19	Cheltenham, UK (Festival)	Bunting / Hallé Orchestra – Barbirolli<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Fricker, Peter Racine	Three Movements for viola solo	1955-06-01	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Zug<ref name="IMMB9495"/>
Gerhard, Roberto	Symphony No. 1	1955-06-21	Baden-Baden, Germany (ISCM Festival)	SWF Symphony – Rosbaud<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Hanson, Howard	Sinfonia sacra (Symphony No. 5)	1955-02-18	Philadelphia, US	Philadelphia Orchestra – Ormandy<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Heiss, Hermann	Sinfonia giocosa	1955-06-04	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Landestheater-Orchester Darmstadt – Sanzogno<ref name=IMMB95>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Helm, Everett B.	Eight minutes for two pianos	1955-06-01	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Seemann, Schröter<ref name=IMMB9495 />
Hovhaness, Alan	Symphony No. 2, Mysterious Mountain	1955-10-31	Houston, US	Houston Symphony – Stokowski<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Klebe, Giselher	Sonata No. 2 for solo violin, Op. 20	1955-06-01	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Kolisch<ref name=IMMB98>Template:Harvnb</ref>
Leibowitz, René	Concerto for viola and chamber orchestra	1955-06-04	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Mann / Landestheater-Orchester Darmstadt – Sanzogno<ref name="IMMB95"/>
Lutoslawski, Witold	Dance Preludes for clarinet and pianoTemplate:Efn	1955-02-15	Warsaw, Poland	Kurkiewicz, Nadgryzowski<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Maderna, Bruno	String Quartet	1955-06-01	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Drolc Quartet<ref name=IMMB98 />
Martinů, Bohuslav	Fantaisies symphoniques (Symphony No. 6)	1955-01-05	Boston, US	Boston Symphony – Munch<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Milhaud, Darius	Symphony No. 6	1955-10-07	Boston, US	Boston Symphony – Munch<ref name="Boston Symphony Orchestra">Template:Cite web</ref>
Milhaud, Darius	Symphony No. 7	1955-09-13	Venice, Italy (Biennale)	INR Orchestra – André<ref name="Venice Biennale">Template:Cite web</ref>
Montsalvatge, Xavier	Calidoscopi simfònic	1955-05-06	Barcelona, Spain	Barcelona Municipal Orchestra – Toldrà<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Nono, Luigi	Canti per tredici	1955-03-26	Paris	Domaine Musical – Boulez<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Nono, Luigi	Incontri	1955-05-30	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	SWF Symphony – Rosbaud<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Piston, Walter	Symphony No. 6	1955-11-25	Boston, US	Boston Symphony – Munch<ref name="Boston Symphony Orchestra"/>
Rodrigo, Joaquín	Pavana real, ballet	1955-12-19	Barcelona, Spain	Liceu Symphony – Sardó<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sauguet, Henri	Symphony No. 3, I.N.R.	1955-09-13	Venice, Italy (Biennale)	Belgian Radio Orchestra – André<ref name="Venice Biennale"/>
Schuman, William	Credendum	1955-11-04	Cincinnati, US	Cincinnati Symphony – Johnson<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Shostakovich, Dmitri	From Jewish Folk Poetry (1948)	1955-01-15	Leningrad, Russia	Dorliak, Dolukhanova, Maslennikov, Shostakovich <ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Shostakovich, Dmitri	Violin Concerto No. 1	1955-10-29	Leningrad, Russia	Oistrakh / Leningrad Philharmonic – Mravinsky<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Stockhausen, Karlheinz	Klavierstücke VI–VIIITemplate:Efn	1955-06-01	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Mercenier<ref>Template:BrahmsOnline</ref>
Tansman, Alexandre	Concerto for Orchestra	1955-09-13	Venice, Italy (Biennale)	Belgian Radio Orchestra – André<ref name="Venice Biennale"/>
Tippett, Michael	Sonata for Four Horns	1955-12-20	London, UK	Dennis Brain Wind Ensemble<ref>Schott Music</ref>
Toch, Ernst	Symphony No. 3 – [1956 Pulitzer]	1955-12-02	Pittsburgh, US	Pittsburgh Symphony – Steinberg<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Togni, Camillo	Helian for soprano and piano	1955-06-01	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Stix, Togni<ref name=IMMB98 />
Tubin, Eduard	Symphony No. 6	1955-09-30	Stockholm, Sweden	Swedish Radio Symphony – Mann<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Villa-Lobos, Heitor	Cello Concerto No. 2	1955-02-05	New York City	Parisot / New York Philharmonic – Hendl<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Villa-Lobos, Heitor	Harp Concerto	1955-01-14	Philadelphia, US	Zabaleta / Philadelphia Orchestra – Villa-Lobos<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Waxman, Franz	Sinfonietta for Strings and Timpani	1955-10-30	Zürich, Switzerland	Zurich Radio Symphony – Liebermann<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Xenakis, Iannis	Metastaseis	1955-10-16	Donaueschingen, Germany (Musiktage)	SWF Symphony – Rosbaud<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Zimmermann, Bernd Alois	Perspektiven for two pianos	1955-06-01	Darmstadt, Germany (Ferienkurse)	Rossmann, Maderna<ref name=IMMB9495 />

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Compositions

Milton Babbitt – Sonnets (2), for baritone voice, clarinet, viola, and cello
Jean Barraqué – Séquence
Luciano Berio
- Mimusique No. 2 for orchestra
- Mutazione for tape
- Quartetto
- Variazione for chamber orchestra
Arthur Bliss
- Meditations on a Theme by John Blow, Op. 118
- Violin Concerto, Op. 111
Ernest Bloch – Proclamation, B.91
Pierre Boulez – Le Marteau sans maître
York Bowen – Rhapsody for Viola and Piano in G Minor
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
- Tre Preludi mediterranei, Op. 176
- Escarramán, Op. 177
Eric Coates – The Dam Busters March
Henry Cowell – Symphony No. 12
George Crumb
- Diptych for orchestra
- Sonata for solo cello
Mario Davidovsky
- Quintet for Clarinet and Strings
- Suite Sinfonica Para "El Payaso" for orchestra
Einar Englund – Piano Concerto No. 1
Ferenc Farkas – Bukki Varlatok
Gerald Finzi – Cello Concerto
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki –
- Four Preludes, Op. 1
- Toccata, Op. 2, for two pianos
Camargo Guarnieri
- Poemas afro-brasileiros (3), for voice and orchestra
- Ponteios, vol. 3, for piano
- Sonata No. 2, for cello and piano
- Songs (2), for voice and piano
Howard Hanson – Symphony No. 5, Op. 43, Sinfonia Sacra (premiered February 18 in Philadelphia)
Hans Werner Henze – Symphony No. 4
Vagn Holmboe
- String Quartet No. 5, Op. 66
- Cantata No. 9
Alan Hovhaness – Symphony No. 2 Mysterious Mountain
Wojciech Kilar
- Small Overture (Little Overture) for symphony orchestra
- Symphony for Strings
Zoltan Kodaly – Nemzeti dal
Osvaldo Lacerda – Miniaturas de Adelmar Tavares (4), for voice and piano
Witold Lutosławski – Dance Preludes (2nd version for clarinet and chamber group)
Bohuslav Martinů
- Gilgameš (choral work based on the Epic of Gilgamesh)
- The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca (Les fresques de Piero della Francesca, orchestral; composed)
- Oboe Concerto
Darius Milhaud – Symphony No. 6
Luigi Nono
- Canti per tredeci for 13 instruments
- Incontri for 24 instruments
Per Nørgård
- Symphony No. 1 Sinfonia austera
- Trio No. 1, Op. 15
Walter Piston – Symphony No. 6
Edmund Rubbra – Piano Concerto
William Schuman – Credendum
John Serry Sr. –
- American Rhapsody – for Stradella Accordion
- Petite Tango – for Stradella Accordion
- Tarantella – for Stradella Accordion revised
Fela Sowande – African Suite for string orchestra<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Karlheinz Stockhausen – Klavierstücke V–VIII
Igor Stravinsky – Canticum Sacrum
Alexandre Tansman
- Concerto for Orchestra
- Capriccio for Orchestra
Michael Tippett
- Piano Concerto (composition completed)
- Sonata for Four Horns
Ernst Toch – Symphony No. 3
Ralph Vaughan Williams – Symphony No. 8 in D minor
Heitor Villa-Lobos
- String Quartet No. 16
- Symphony No. 11
William Walton
- Johannesburg Festival Overture
- Score for Richard III (film)
Franz Waxman – Sinfonietta for Strings and Timpani
Iannis Xenakis - Pithoprakta for orchestra

Opera

Carlisle Floyd – Susannah (premiered February 24 at Florida State University, Tallahassee)
Lukas Foss – Griffelkin (opera in three acts, libretto by A. Reed after H. Foss, premiered November 6 on NBC television in the United States)
Dmitry Kabalevsky – Nikita Vershinin (premiered November 26 at Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow)
Darius Milhaud – Agamemnon and Les choëphores (from the Oresteia trilogy, premiered May 29 at Landestheater Darmstadt, Germany)
Alexis Roland-Manuel – Jeanne d'Arc
Michael Tippett – The Midsummer Marriage (premiered January 27 at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London)

Film

Elmer Bernstein - The Man with the Golden Arm
Bernard Herrmann - The Trouble With Harry
Bronislau Kaper - The Prodigal
Alex North - Unchained (featuring "Unchained Melody")
Leonard Rosenman - East of Eden
Leonard Rosenman - Rebel Without a Cause
William Walton - Richard III

Jazz

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Musical theater

File:Leonard Bernstein NYWTS 1955.jpg

Composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein in 1955

The Amazing Adele – Philadelphia production
Ankles Aweigh – Broadway production
Catch A Star – Broadway production
Damn Yankees (Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) – Broadway production
Kismet – London production opens at the Stoll Theatre on April 20 and runs for 648 performances
The Pajama Game (Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) – London production opens at the Coliseum on October 13 and runs for 501 performances
Phoenix '55 – Broadway production
Pipe Dream (Rodgers and Hammerstein) – Broadway production
Plain and Fancy – Broadway production
Romance in Candlelight – London production opens at the Piccadilly Theatre on September 15 and runs for 53 performances
Seventh Heaven – Broadway production opens at the ANTA Playhouse on May 26 and runs for 44 performances
Shoestring Revue – Broadway production
Silk Stockings – Broadway production
Wonderful Town (Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green) – London production opens at the Princes Theatre on February 24 and runs for 207 performances